World Cup 2014: France's Paul Pogba comes of age on biggest stage

The French public demand a lot of midfielder Paul Pogba at 21 but he is
enjoying the World Cup stage

Wave of form: Paul Pogba has been showing Manchester United fans what he has been missing Photo: EPA

By Julien Laurens

7:00AM BST 02 Jul 2014

Sometimes, it is hard to believe that Paul Pogba is only 21. To put it in perspective, at that age, Zinedine Zidane had yet to play for France. However, Pogba’s nation expects and they are an unforgiving bunch when he does not deliver.

Although he has youth on his side, it is not an ally. When the young hot head lost his temper during the opening game against Honduras which could have led to the Parisian being sent off, Deschamps publicly condemned his attitude and dropped him for the next match against Switzerland.

When his display against Ecuador in the last game of the group stage was below par, he was heavily criticised by the French press. But Deschamps understands how to push Pogba’s buttons for the perfect riposte. After an auspicious start in the group stages and under immense scrutiny, Pogba responded in the way he knows best in the last-16 game against Nigeria on Monday.

In the first big test of the boy’s character in this campaign he stepped up like a man. In the first half, he led a superb counter attack which concluded with a volley which forced a wonderful save by Vincent Enyeama. In the second half, he was in the right place at the right time to give France the lead. He did not go wild after his goal (a yellow card would have seen him excluded from the next game), he stayed composed, telling the waiting press pack after the game: “You do your job, I do mine. I try to focus on the pitch.”

Deschamps noted that the critics had made him stronger. “He played much simpler than before,” the manager said after the Nigeria win. “He has been criticised, but that’s part of life for a top football player. They can be tough, unjustified but it will toughen him up.”

Big games belong to big players, they say. Of course, he still needs to find consistency and impact throughout the duration of the 90 minutes and in the build-up to the game, the media pondered if the coach would prefer the experience of Moussa Sissoko to Pogba, if the latter even deserved to start.

Deschamps knew that the debate and uncertainty would whet Pogba’s appetite and motivation to do even better. But Pogba’s talent shines through. The young starlet has just two full seasons of first-team football under his belt with 63 Serie A games with Juventus and 15 caps (with two goals) for his country, but there is so much talk and expectation on him that it feels like he has been on the scene for longer.

Fitting in with ease into the French dressing room, Olivier Giroud revealed on Monday night that Pogba had created a team celebration in the dressing room. A few words that the whole squad repeats while he dances and shouts.

Only the former Manchester United midfielder could have done that: he is young enough to be crazy enough to make up his own chant with no inhibitions, but importantly he is also respected enough by the senior players in the dressing room that they sing in chorus.

This time last year, he was leading a victorious France at the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey where he was named player of the tournament. Fast forward a year and the nation expects similar things from him in another continent on a bigger stage, and Deschamps knows exactly how to play it.